All about Alfonso

November 20, 2006

Full name: Alfonso Pacheco Soriano

Born: Jan. 7, 1976, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, the same hometown as former Cubs' $17 million man Sammy Sosa. Until two years ago, Soriano had listed his birth date as Jan. 7, 1978, making him two years younger.

Nickname: "Fonzie."

Favorite meal: Rice and beans. His favorite dessert is ice cream.

Drives: A Hummer.

Family: His wife, Angelica, is Panamian, and they have two daughters and a son.

Did you know: Last February, he set a record for the highest salary in arbitration at $10 million for one year, even though he had sought $12 million.

Career: He signed with the Yankees in 1998 and made his major-league debut Sept. 14, 1999. In 2004, he went to Texas with minor-leaguer Joaquin Aria in one of the biggest trades of all time. The Yankees received Alex Rodriguez and about $67 million of the $179 million left on Rodriguez's contract. Last December, the Rangers traded him to Washington for outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge and minor-league pitcher Armando Galarraga.

Milestones: On Sept. 16, he became the fourth player to join the 40-homer/40-stolen-base club, along with Rodriguez, Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds.

Personality: Soriano is known as one of the happiest players in the game, though he is known to be shy in public. "All he does is smile," Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden said. "He's a great teammate, the players love him, the front office loves him, and the manager and coaches love him."

Controversy: Much of Soriano's public perception as a problem player comes from Spring Training, his first with Washington, when he refused to start a game in the outfield. Soriano said he would play second base or not at all. The Nationals threatened to suspend him and withhold his salary. Two days later, he backed down and started in left. Soriano not only played left field the rest of the season, he started in left for the NL All-Stars.